Saturday, May 24, 2014

Perhaps financing was an
issue – they also displayed different sponsors on their shirts,
although not as many as Skovbakken: only 4. An old club, but not very
successful – they won the Cup three times and that was all, but
their victories were fairly recent: 1967,1968, and 1973. Now going
down – a typically unpredictable Danish clubs. Every season
appeared to be pretty by itself, unrelated to even to recent past and
not necessarily forcasting the future. Down for the moment,
distinguishing themselves with the leakiest defence in the league –
they received 88 goals. The next worst ended with 59.

Koge Boldclub finished
15th with 21 points.

Another up and down,
although little known club... not much of a fighter this year, but
they were Danish champions in 1975. So quickly fate changed in
Denmark – no consistency at all.

By the look of them,
relatively better off club: only two sponsors. A female masseur –
something extremely unusual in the 1970s when football was entirely
male from bottom to top. But Scandinavia was different – more
relaxed, or may be because the game was not so fanatical as in the
rest of the world.

14th were
Frederikshavn fI. They also ended with 21 points, but better
goal-difference than Koge. No comfort in that – they were still 3
points short of a safe spot.

Now, Frederikshavn
forenede Idrætsklubber (also known as FfI
or Frederikshavn fI)
were what could pass for a really modest Danish club. They rarely
played in First Division – a total of 5 season scattered in the
1960s and the 1970s. Unlikely member of the top league and unlikely
coming back too.

And also
typical of the Danish predicament: 7 sponsors tried to keep the club
afloat. Watching Danish teams perhaps was a nighmare – every player
seemed to be dressed in kit hardly matching anybody else's on the
pitch. It did not look like advertising, but rather like donation
from friendly firms.

The rest
of the league was more or less equal – no strong favourites and no
big internal divisions. Perhaps Frem (Coppenhagen) were a bit low on
their luck – they finished 10th
– but was it a decline or just temporary weak seasons was
impoosible to tell. OB Odense, AGF Aarhus, and Esbjerg fB fought for
thrid and second place, eventually losing their edge during the
season and all finishing quite behind the champions. OB Odense
finished 4th
with 38 points – may be unlucky, may be a bit weaker than the
others.

With 39 points
AGF Aarhus got bronze. Much better than their city rivals Skovbakken
and one of historically successful Danish clubs, but the 1970s were
not their time – nothing to brag about so far. Perhaps
professionalism was good for them – they seemingly improved this
year, yet it remained to be seen was it just a lucky season or
something more consistent.

If
adds could be any reliable indicaction, top spot depended on ability
to attract sponsors: unlike the weaklings above, AGF had only one
sponsor.

Their
birthdate is a bit misleading – 1924 is actually the year when two
local rivals merged into the Esbjerg fB. One of the original clubs
was founded in 1898, the other in 1911. The new amalgamation was
ambitious project, or so the club historians say. Esbjerg's golden
years were in the 1960s, when they won 4 titles and one cup. All
ended in 1965, but a second good spell started in mid-70s: they won
the Cup in 1975 and finished 2nd
in 1978. May be better days laid ahead?

The
ever-present 'may be'... based on single sponsor and the presense of
the national team goalkeeper Ole Kjaer. And may be Berthelsen... may
be, may be, may be... on the negative side: they were second, but not
a contender even when strong.

No 'may be'
about the champions as such: at the end of the season, they appeared
really dominant, finishing 4 points away from Esbjerg. The name was
also familiar – Vejle BK.

Europeans
were familiar with the name in the 1970s and it looked like to be
'the big Danish club', but this was misconception. The club is old,
indeed, but not a force until 1970. The decade was the most succesful
period in the club's history – and also the most successful Danish
club at the time, winning 4 titles, including 1978. Allan Simonsen
played for them before going to Borussia (Moenchengladbach) and big
fame. More or less, Vejle were consistent and this very season was
one of their best ever: they reached the 1/4 finals in the 1977-78
European Cup Winners Cup.

Champions
again, but how trully solid was the squad? No new Simonsen there...
not even a new Ulrich Le Fevre... Well, judging champions would not
do – they won, others did not.

About Me

I am Vesselin Vesselinov, born in Bulgaria and living in Canada. Football is my hobby since childhood – not the most important part of my life, but lifelong addiction nevertheless. Playing, watching, talking and collecting football. Now I am sharing my addiction with you. Hope you enjoy it.